Over the past few years there has been a growing movement of toleration that has crept into mainstream America. This movement allows and promotes differing views from all areas of society. An individual’s views and their rights are two very different things. At some point in our country’s recent history these two have become mingled together, their meanings twisted. The fact stands that all men are created equal and should be treated as such. All have certain rights afforded us by our Constitution and Bill of Rights which were formed by God fearing men, most cherish these rights and freedoms our forefathers fought and died for, yet there are those who seek to remove from our midst what our forefathers used as a foundation to build this nation upon. These great men knew that a nation could not stand unless God was with it. And for God to remain with it and bless it, the nation had to follow God, just like His chosen, Israel, had to. We, as a people, must realize and understand when our nation strays from God’s will and actively seek to return there. But at every turn satan is there, hindering us.

This movement of toleration has formed itself on a self-protecting foundation, under a very clever disguise. It has infiltrated the business world we work in and the media we watch. Anyone that speaks out against it is attacked from every angle and labled as intolerant of others and their views, irregardless of how wrong they are. The idea is: What you believe is what you believe and what I believe is what I believe, and I don’t have a right to put my beliefs on you and you don’t have a right to put your beliefs on me. While in theory this sounds good, it is very wrong. Look how it protects itself. It takes an individual’s views and opinions and turns them into rights and truths and then uses them against you, saying, "Well, that’s your opinion and you know how opinions go." There becomes no truth, no right and wrong. It is based on everyone’s opinion of what the truth is. It just amazes me to sit and watch people argue about the truth. What both of them believe is right, Even though one person is clearly wrong. What does the prophet say?, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter," Isaiah chapter 5 verse 20.

There is only right and wrong. There is only good and evil. There is only black and white. There is no gray. If you have to justify what you are doing, it is wrong. This diversity as it is called seeks to have everyone get along with everyone in the hopes that no one gets offended. It says, "Don’t say or do anything that offends anyone, don’t step on their toes. They have as much right to live as you do!" In the guise of being gender specific and politically correct, media and television push this philosophy onto us without a care whether it is right or wrong. "What’s so wrong with not offending anyone?" If someone does something wrong and you tell them it’s wrong, you’ve suddenly offended them. And, "You can’t do that!" Well, why? Because that upsets satan! Where did satan come into this? If you do wrong, something that God says not to, that’s evil and of satan. That’s where satan comes in. He wants you to not care what you do and that blurrs the lines between right and wrong. The less obvious the line separating good and evil, the more satan likes it, and over time the line fades more and more until it can’t be seen. Which is now. We live in this time of not being able to distinguish good and evil.

In this particular aspect, media, TV, and gay rights advocates, promote homosexuality as an acceptable "lifestyle" pushing it on Americans as something we should get used to because they are like that and are here to stay. Sin is still sin no matter how much make-up you put on it. God said in Genesis 1:27-28, "And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth..." It is impossible for two men or two women to "Be fruitful and multiply." God created them male and female, not male and male or female and female. Leviticus 18:22 states, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." Also in Leviticus, chapter 20 verse 13, "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death..." In Romans 1:18-32 Paul states that God’s wrath is revealed against all ungodliness, and describes how God gave them over to their degrading passions and a depraved mind those who committed such acts. I’ve heard many times "God made me this way." God does not create something and then call it an abomination. In 1st Corinthians 6:9-10, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do no be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor theives, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God." Homosexuality is sin and the Bible condemns it. It is not a sexual preference or lifestyle. To God, it is no different than someone being a thief or murderer. This truth steps all over people’s toes. It offends them. And the world doesn’t like that.

Business is prodded into following these ideas, in fear of lawsuits, bad press and in turn lower sales. This causes companies to develop diversity policies and ethics regulations for their employees to follow in an attempt to not offend anyone and avoid situations for lawsuits. And it seems there is a drive for companies to be the most "diverse"out there. All this for fear of offending someone. All this for not defending what is right, and telling these people they are the ones who are wrong.

The moral foundation of a nation is its’ families. When families start falling apart, the nation as a whole is not far behind. When parents do not acknowledge God as the creator, do not fear what He can do and has done and do not teach their children to fear Him and to keep His commandments, the decline of personal accountability and responsibility for actions spurs the rise of moral and criminal offenses which cause the problems our nation faces.

By not revering God’s commandments, keeping them and observing them, ties directly to the home, the parents. Parents must hold to and are responsible for teaching the ideals by which this nation was founded. Furthermore, the society who does not keep and promote God’s commandments, will suffer His wrath. All those who seek to harm God’s cause must be drug into the light. When God’s truth shines on the darkness it will flee. Recently there has been great furvor relating to the Ten Commandments being displayed in public and governmental buildings, for fear you might offend someone who does not believe in them. Or it is cried, "This violates the separation of church and state." Our forefathers knew that it was because of God’s favor that a nation stood or fell, and that fact is made evident in our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. When a nation falls out of the grace of God, trouble and strife follow. We must learn from history. Rome, the greatest empire that ever existed, fell. Babylon also, even God’s own children, Israel fell into great suffering time and time again because of their sin against God. The only distinction among Rome, Babylon and America is that we are a nation founded upon God and His principles, like Israel. They worshipped idol gods and would not keep His commandments, and He punished them for it. But if we too, like Israel, fall away from God into disobedience, we will suffer the same fate as Israel. An existence of war and suffering with no hope of peace. "A God of peace and love wouldn’t do that!" The world cries. Oh yes, He most certainly would, you don’t know the Bible. He is a jealous God, full of wrath towards His enemies. The Romans didn’t believe in Jehovah God, but It didn’t matter what they believed. They didn’t think that an almighty God was going to deliver judgement upon them, but He did. And today, people live with no fear of God and think they won’t be called into judgement for their actions, but they will. As one, of many examples, read Jeremiah chapters 46-51, then come back and tell me God doesn’t punish those nations that sin against Him.

A group in this movement that actively opposes and hinders prayer in our schools and the placement of the Ten Commandments in our courthouses and places where justice is served is the ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union. They cry, "separation of church and state." And "you might offend or exclude someone that doesn’t believe in them, and this is their government to." God says that if you do not keep His commandments, you are not of Him, you are of the devil. It doesn’t matter who you are. Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. God is higher than the ACLU. They and their lawyers actively hinder God’s cause by standing in His way, by not helping advance His cause. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 12 verse 30, "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters." If you stand in the way of Christ or hinder His cause you are an enemy of God. We must call the ACLU what it is: An active instrument of satan. The systematic draining of God from our society and pervasive tolerance and blatant promotion of sin is spawning the social problems we are facing. We must return to God.

We are witnessing a growing toleration of witchcraft and sorcery. Movies and books that portray sorcerers and witches as children. To the world this seems innocent enough, but as christians we must not let it go on. These represent evil in its’ purest form. "Oh come on, it’s just a movie," or "It’s only a book. What’s wrong with that?" God considers pornography and x-rated movies sin, they’re just books and movies. To God they are both sin. Just because man places more emphasis on one than the other, doesn’t mean God does. In the Old Testament King Saul sought after a medium to conjure the prophet Samuel, and he died because of it. 1st Chronicles chapter 10 verses 13-14, "So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the Lord, because of the word of the Lord which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it, and did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse." The punishment laid out for mediums and spiritists was death, by stoning, Leviticus chapter 20 verse 27. I believe many do not know that the Bible condemns witchcraft, like many other offenses to God. This comes from a lack of reading and teaching the things of God. Late night TV is littered with ads for psychics, tarot card readers and fortune tellers. People need to be made aware that these are evil and when you meddle in these you meddle in satan’s lair.

Recently some churches have taken a stand and have condemned the widespread acceptance of witchcraft, others have held book burnings. To the world these seem to be religous extremists, but this view should not be. As long as we, as christians, will not speak out against these sins and withhold what the movie studios and advertisers understand the most, money, they will continue producing movies, books, toys, etc. And do you really blame them? They should care, but they don’t. If they have a product that people will buy, they’re going to sell it. It is the people that must turn away from the product, and by nature screenwriters and bookwriters and toy companies will search for products that the consumer will buy. They don’t care what they produce, just as long as it sells. If a product doesn’t sell, they won’t make it.

These are only a few of the many problems that plague us as a people. Problems that only God can fix, and only if we return to Him. For He promises, "...and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land," 2nd Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14.

These words give comfort. God only can heal our nations troubles. No amount of money or programs will work unless God is behind them. We must support our leaders in public offices, encourage them, and most importantly, pray for them. Our land’s healing depends solely on our obedience to God. Return to Him and May God bless these United States.

As we pass through this world, we meet hundreds of people. A very special few of those encounters end up making a lasting impression on our lives. These people might be school teachers, coaches or folks at the church we attend. This article is about a special lady who touched many a young person who passed through her Sunday School class at Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, MI, one of which was me.

When our family moved to Michigan in 1968, Dad began to pastor Grace Church. One of the deacons at Grace was Brother Otis Berry. His lovely wife was Sister Beulah, and she taught the Primary Sunday School class. First it was a small class in the cool damp basement of the church; later, as the class grew, it met upstairs in a bigger room.

I still remember some of the assignments Sister Beulah gave to us. One was to count how many times the word "love" appeared in the New Testament. I have long forgotten what that count was, but what has stuck with me is a deep appreciation for the love that God showed to mankind in sending His Son. Looking back, I have a feeling that it was THAT message she was hoping we would take away, not the actual number the word appeared in the text.

Another lesson was a simple song that contained the names of the 12 Apostles. Sung each Sunday, it became engrained in my memory. Now, nearly 40 years later, we have taught this song to the young people who attend our Vacation Bible School at the church I attend, Bethel Missionary Baptist, in Indianapolis. So her lessons are living on years after she taught them.

Aside from the Biblical lessons, Sister Beulah taught us love and compassion. She and Brother Berry, who has now gone home to be with the Lord, had a beautiful home in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, and they loved to invite young people over to eat and have fellowship. They had a beautiful garden in the backyard with lots of wildlife that they had befriended, including squirrels that would come to the window to get peanut butter covered biscuits.

Today, home for Sister Beulah is a single room at a nursing home in Glasgow, KY. Her eyesight is gone and her mind is fading, but when I visited her last, she still had that wonderfully sweet, gracious and loving spirit about her that I remembered. I took the opportunity then to tell her what she had meant to me and that her lessons were living on. I’m so glad I did.

Dear reader – if you have a "Sister Beulah" in your life, won’t you call, write or visit that person today and let them know what they mean to you? Life is so short and uncertain. Let us present our roses while they can be appreciated.

Thank you, Sister Beulah, for the life you have lived and the lives you have touched.